


Heart Stop 2: Code Blue

by PullMyJevilTrigger



Category: No Fandom, Nyan~ Neko Sugar Girls, Original Fandom - Fandom
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/F, Gen, Official Sequel to an Unofficial Sequel, Yuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-01-24 00:20:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18560101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PullMyJevilTrigger/pseuds/PullMyJevilTrigger
Summary: "We're following orders. Simple as that..."A year after the events of Heart Stop, a foundation from another world by the name of The Blue Right Hand is hell-bent on invading the neko's world. A defecting soldier named Heather wishes to defeat them with Raku and Koneko's help. More friends and enemies abound on an adventure spanning multiple worlds! Will the heroes who saved the world before save it again, or will this all fade to blue?





	1. Indigo Protocol

It was a shining, shining day at Mochi Central. A cool breeze blew through on the hot summer day. It was one of those more quiet days, one for lazing about indoors or outdoors, which was what Raku and Koneko were doing. The two nekos walked about the town, tails swishing about and ears bouncing as they couldn't help but smile on such a great day. Raku sighed contentedly before speaking.  
R: "What a great day, Koneko."  
Raku wore her usual outfit, the sky blue t-shirt with the pink miniskirt. Not much different, except for a little red heart patch on her skirt. She thought it would be cute and also indicative of her magic powers. Speaking of, there was no real use for them anymore, seeing as there was no more danger to be had. Though occasionally she would use the vines to grab things from a distance if she was lazy or use them as tickling instruments. Koneko looked up to the sky, not a cloud present as she replied.  
K: "Yep, it's amazing."  
Koneko during the summer changed from her usual flowing clothes to a green t-shirt, similar to Raku's, and darker green cargo shorts. It's been a while since she wore something like the current set, but for some reason, this new change of clothes feels more freeing. Fitting for a wielder of the Winds, which like Raku's Heart, had no combative use now. Save for using it to cool herself and Raku down on the sweltering days. Her Kaze Katanas were hung on the wall of her house in decoration with a memorial plaque dedicated to her mother. Raku put her hands on the back of her head as they continued walking.  
R: "Well, nya, I don't want to talk about the weather all day, so do you have anything on your mind, desu?"  
K: "Not really..."  
Koneko nudged Raku's cheek with a finger, eliciting a blush from Raku.  
K: "Except you, desu."  
Raku and Koneko's relationship was as strong as it could be. Never losing faith in each other, the nekos did near everything together. Hanging out, sleeping, eating, and some other, stranger things like bathing. Since there's no impending danger anymore, their relationship was allowed to flow and blossom naturally.  
R: "Aww, well thanks, Koneko! You know I'm always thinking about you too, nya!"  
Raku moved her hands from her head to her back.  
R: "But you know... I was thinking about our journey..."  
Ah yes, the journey to take back Raku's heart and save the world from Kurohāto. A taxing and thrilling one, to say the very least.  
K: "Nya?"  
R: "I think it's been nearly a year since then..."  
K: "You're right, I think. Man, it was life changing, desu."  
R: "Yeah! All the new friends, our powers..."  
Koneko nudged Raku's shoulder, a warm smile on her face.  
K: "All thanks to your big heart, Raku." The compliment made Raku bring her hands to her chest and cause her heart to glow, an ever familiar outline shining through.  
R: "Yeah, all thanks to me, nya."  
The walkabout continued, with the two heading into the more empty parts of town, grass waving and cherry blossoms dancing in the breeze. An upset frown formed on Raku as something dredged itself from Raku's mind.  
R: "Hey, Koneko?"  
K: "Hmm? What's up, desu?"  
R: "I keep having this weird dream..."  
Raku slowed down her walking, with Koneko doing the same to stay by her.  
R: "It starts with me falling into some inky black void. It's hard to breath and move in it, like when you're underwater. After some time, I don't know how long, I'm suddenly standing in front of Mochi Central..."  
Raku crossed her arms and shivered a bit.  
R: "...And it's... being torn apart. Not like... demolished, nya, but... it's like the very world is unraveling, and this weird blue energy is doing it. But... in the center of it all, someone covered in armor stands, arms thrown out as they just, _laugh..._ "  
Raku shut her eyes and stopped walking, trying not to cry as she recalled more.  
R: "That energy... it gets so unbearable to endure, nya. You know how I wake up screaming, but sometimes I don't even know if I really have woken up."  
As Raku struggled, Koneko put an arm on her opposite shoulder and brought Raku closer to her.  
K: "Don't worry, Raku-chan. It's only a bad dream, it's not real. You know I'll always be right next to you when you wake up, ready to calm you down and make you feel better. Got it, nya?"  
Wiping a tear from her cheek, Raku replied with a smile.  
R: "Yeah, it's not real, desu! Hey, it's pretty hot out. You wanna get some mochi ice cream, nya?"  
K: "I'd love to! You go ahead, I'll be right there."  
R: "Seeya there, tomodachi!"  
Koneko smiled as she saw Raku take off towards the town. Her smile turned to a neutral frown.  
K: "I wonder if I should have told her..."  
Koneko looked towards the ground.  
K: "That I've been having that same exact dream too..."  
Koneko soon looked back ahead, moving in the same direction as Raku.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Not too far away from the town's center was the Vet's home, now fully repaired after the Darkling invasion. Although it was empty for now, as the Vet and Scientist collaborated together at the hospital to help anybody injured during the whole ordeal a year ago. Though everyone was fine now, their strained relationship eased somewhat as they both respected and helped each other. The Scientist was carefully putting together some circuitry and tech when the Vet overlooked him, leaning down right over his shoulder. The Scientist sighed and shook his head as he tried to ignore her.  
S: "V, you know I hate it when you do that."  
V: "That's why I do it, Scientist."  
The Scientist turned around and set his goggles on his forehead as he continued speaking.  
S: "I don't interrupt with your work!"  
The Vet crossed her arms and frowned disappointingly.  
V: "Really?"  
S: "Well... Not _often_..."  
The Vet sustained her pose and expression.  
S: "Y'know, uh... a couple times, at least..."  
This look was making the Scientist sweat bullets.  
S: "Okay fine, I interrupt you all the time! So what? It's not my fault my work is so much more interesting than yours."  
Rolling her eyes, the Vet raised her arms to the side.  
V: "Oh, here we go..."  
Angrily flipping his goggles back on, the Scientist gestured about erratically before getting in the Vet's face and pointing to his goggles.  
S: "Can syringes and medicine make these? No? Well, we know who's job is better!"  
V: "Why do we have to have this argument every single- I've saved countless lives!"  
S: "Well then I guess Raku isn't countle-"  
The Vet slammed the Scientist against his desk, hitting him against some of his equipment. Her expression was a mix of anger and disappointment as she spoke sternly.  
V: "I did everything I could to help her and Koneko. Shrine Maiden work is difficult, and even with the greatest medical equipment, I **CAN'T** bring someone back from the dead. There was nothing I could've done to bring her back, and if it wasn't for Kuro, she'd have stayed dead. You just make fancy toys, while I try to make sure my patients stay alive. The least you could do is _recognize that my job is monumental._ "  
Suddenly, the Scientist's goggles beeped loudly, and an urgent alert popped up and obscured his vision.  
**"WARNING: UNKNOWN FLUX EVENT OCCURRING. IMMEDIATE ANALYZING REQUIRED."**  
The Scientist looked towards the Vet with chilling seriousness.  
S: "V. Something is going on, lemme go."  
The Vet's anger subsided as she pulled him off the table, allowing him to pick up his devices and diagnose the problem. Scratching his head, he spoke out.  
S: "Well, it was right. There's some strange energy forming in town."  
V: "What is is?"  
S: "It's... otherworldly. I-I guess, what I'm saying is this thing is made of something that modern science hasn't discovered."  
V: "Well, what is it doing?"  
S: "Nothing, currently. It just seems to be... gathering more and more of its energy."  
V: "So it's getting bigger."  
S: "Yeah, you could say. I'm getting butterflies in my stomach, Vet. This can't be good..."  
V: "Don't let the possible future get to your head. Whatever it is or does, it can't be worse than what happened last year."  
The Scientist sighed as he took off his goggles and looked out the window.  
S: "Well, regardless of what it is, I'll have to do tons of research on it. A discovery like this could mark a new era of science... probably, maybe, I dunno. But I'll keep a close eye on it, and sorry to say, I might need your help on some things."  
V: "Whatever's necessary, Scientist."  
The Scientist gathered some surveying equipment and headed for the door.  
S: "I'll take some preliminary measurements, BRB."  
With a slam of the door, the Vet was left alone in the lobby of her hospital. Taking a sigh, she unwrapped a fresh dark chocolate bar and took a bite out of it.  
V: "Kami, please, for once let this be a good thing..."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Raku and Koneko were sat across from each other as they ate their mochi ice cream, as was their usual summer routine. Well, eating between looking longingly into their eyes and giggling to each other, occasionally spoonfeeding as well. As Raku was about to start talking, her sight was directed to the doors, where a familiar orange haired fox-girl was walking through with two other people. Also with her was an unfamiliar lilac haired person with a... beak? The other was a light blonde haired dog-girl, with strangely wide and open, bright green eyes.  
I: "They should be in here somewhere..."  
Ishiki looked to her right and saw the two girls sitting in the booth. Ishiki smiled, the ever familiar toothy grin shining as she and her group walked over to Raku and Koneko.  
I: "There they are! Mind if we sit with you, kon?"  
R: "Go right ahead!"  
K: "I don't mind at all, nya."  
I: "Cool!"  
The three girls scooted in close and filled the seats as Ishiki continued her chatting.  
I: "How have you girls been? It's been a while!"  
Koneko giggled as she ate another bite of ice cream.  
K: "It's only been a week since we last saw you, Ishiki."  
I: "Well, you know I can't get enough of you guys!"  
R: "So who are your friends here, Ishiki-chan?"  
I: "Very glad you asked!"  
Ishiki wrapped an arm around the bird-girl as she waved.  
I: "This is my dear sister Aria. Aria, this is Raku and Koneko."  
Aria smiled as she spoke in her high, cheery voice.  
A: "Hi there, chun! Glad to meet you both!"  
I: "She's really good with music, y'know!  
Ishiki wrapped her other arm around the dog-girl as she just stared at the nekos.  
I: "And this is my dear girlfriend Oroka! Say hi, sweetie!"  
Oroka put her hands on the table and frowned, growling at Raku and Koneko. The two looked a little surprised.  
O: "Grrrr..."  
I: "Oh Kami, forgot dogs don't mingle well with cats- Oroka! Be nice, kon."  
Oroka eventually ceased her growling as she turned away from the nekos.  
O: "Hmph! Hi."  
Leaning in close to the nekos, Ishiki spoke quietly as to not let Oroka hear.  
I: "She might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but she's a great girl. Er, not counted that little incident earlier..."  
K: "It's perfectly fine, Ishiki-chan. It's great to meet you both, Aria-chan and Oroka-chan."  
R: "New tomodachis~!"  
Raku conjured up Heart energy into small hearts and flicked them towards Aria and Oroka.  
A: "Whoa! What's this?"  
Oroka's tail wagged excitedly as she brought up the heart towards her face, the pink energy shining and reflecting off her eyes.  
O: "Wow, Ishiki, you didn't tell me your friend was a magician!"  
The ditzy dog looked back towards Raku, grinning innocently.  
O: "I like you now! *wof!*"  
A: "My sister told me about your adventure, it sounded amazing!"  
R: "Ah..."  
K: "Well..."  
I: "Some parts, Aria."  
A: "Well, regardless, I wish I could've tagged along. You could always use someone to document the journey!"  
After rooting through her bag, Aria produced a medium sized camera, weathered a bit from use.  
A: "This lil' thing lasted me for years now, and even now it's still ready to make some memories!"  
Oroka grabbed Ishiki's arm and shook her excitedly.  
O: "Ishiki, Ishiki! Let's take a picture together!"  
I: "Oroka, I take pictures with you all the time, kon."  
K: "I think she means-"  
O: "With all of us, *wof wof!*"  
Ishiki stood up (or at least tried to) from the booth and smiled.  
I: "Then let's go!"  
?: "Aren't you forgetting someone?"  
The attention in the mochi shop was diverted again to the doors, the bell above the door ringing as they closed, and the white haired figure walking in. In fresh, fashionable robes befitting a wizard of his caliber the man stopped in front of the girl's table and placed his hands upon it before smiling, a somewhat chilling one from Raku and Koneko's point of view.  
?: "Er, actually... You're forgetting a lot of people. The Vet, Scientist, Perrak, Evan-"  
Raku giggled in joy as she waved to the man.  
R: "Hehe, Kuro, what're you doing here, nya?"  
Kuro, formerly Kurohāto, the villain of Raku and Koneko's adventure a year ago was reformed pretty quickly after the dust settled. Due to strange heart shenanigans, he's pretty young in appearance, but not in mentality. Years of dark magic and subsequent removal of dark magic does stuff to the mind, but Kuro has it under control for the most part, if not being a bit out there at points.  
KU: "Oh you know, still atoning for what I did years ago."  
Casually taking a bite of mochi ice cream, Koneko responded.  
K: "You've already apologized to us back then, desu."  
R: "And tons of times in-between."  
I: "Like, we get it, kid. We forgive you."  
KU: "Regardless of apologies, I've been taking a break and I decided to drop in on you guys! Speaking of you guys..."  
Kuro pointed towards Aria and Oroka, who looked pretty darn confused about this guy.  
KU: "Who're these fine ladies?"  
Everyone involved turned red with embarrassment.  
A: "F-fine?"  
O: "Ladies?"  
Ishiki took the question a little personally.  
I: "Well, _one_ is my girlfriend, and the _other_ is my sister, kon."  
Kuro darted his dark green eyes away as he scratched his head nervously.  
KU: "Forget I said anything then. Anyways-"  
What happened next could only be described as an extremely loud, magical sounding crash.  
R: "AAAAAH KAMI!!"  
K: "OW OW OW OW OW!!"  
KU: "MY MAGICAL EARS!!"  
Chaotic yelling continued on for a few more seconds as the ringing in their ears subsided.  
K: "That wasn't funny, Kuro!"  
R: "That really hurt my ears, nya!"  
KU: "Wha- That wasn't me! It scared the desu out of me too!"  
I: "What're you guys talking about, kon?"  
The three looked toward the other three seated, a nonplussed, neutral expression on their faces.  
O: "I didn't hear anything!"  
A: "Neither did I."  
KU: "You're telling us you did **not** just hear a deafening crash just now?"  
I: "Uh huh."  
R: "Really, desu?"  
K: "How could you not have heard that, Ishiki?"  
Suddenly, Raku's phone buzzed with a cheerful ringtone. The Scientist was calling her. Swiping to answer, Raku put the phone up to her ear.  
R: "Moshi moshi."  
Panting heavily, the Scientist tried to speak.  
S: "Hah, hah, Raku! Get you and your buddies over to Mochi Central as fast as you can!"  
R: "We're already here, nya!"  
S: "Dang, you're quick! Meet up outside, somethin' is going on! I'll fill you in when I get there, kiddo!"  
***beep***  
K/KU/I: "Who was it?"  
R: "Scientist-san. He wants us to meet outside of here, nya."  
K: "What for, Raku?"  
R: "He said he'd explain once he got here. Let's go!"  
Everybody got up from their seats, sans Kuro, and headed out. Kuro shrugged to himself before going with them.  
KU: "I didn't even get to order mochi... Eh, whatever."  
The gang gathered outside of Mochi Central to behold whatever it was that the Scientist was hinting about. Immediately in the center of town was a strange, blue mass of energy. Murmurs from the group rang out as speculation arose.  
I: "What is that?"  
R: "Something good?"  
KU: "Something bad?"  
O: "It looks pretty."  
A: "Pretty freaky..."  
K: "Definitely strange, all things considered..."  
The scurrying of shoes stomping on grass and the clanging of metallic equipment got louder and louder as the Scientist finally arrived.  
S: "*Wheeze* Sor-ry for the holdup, it's *cough cough* hard to run with heavy technology in tow. There's a reason I failed gym class..."  
KU: "Scientist, good to see you again."  
S: "Likewise, young Kuro."  
Crossing his arms and pouting, Kuro grumbled to himself.  
KU: "Young... Been around thousands of years, older than him *grumble grumble*."  
The Scientist's royal purple eyes quickly saw the rest of the group and began to set up his complex gear.  
S: "And great to see the rest of you, and in the case of some few others, pleased to meet you. I'm the greatest scientist of Kusamura, might've heard of me?"  
The Scientist flashed a smile and a finger gun towards Aria and Oroka, who once again were more confused then anything.  
S: "Regardless..."  
Peering closely at a computer screen and typing rapidly, the Scientist scratched his chin before pointing directly up into the air, as if saying "ah-ha!".  
S: "My suspicions appear correct."  
The lab-coated man shoved the crowd aside and got maybe a little closer than he should have been to the energy.  
S: "This, my faithful companions... _is a portal_."  
Gasps, oohs and aahs rung out from the crowd as the Scientist gestured madly. A blonde woman came up next to him and took the spotlight for a minute.  
V: "And portals are never good."  
Raku's eyes widened as she recognized the Vet.  
R: "Vet-sama! What do you mean?"  
V: "I mean exactly what I said, Raku."  
The Vet began pacing about in the empty space between the portal and the crowd.  
V: "Portals are gateways, and ninety-nine out of a hundred times they bring about monsters, demons, horrors, enemies, **threats**."  
The Scientist grew a little angry and jealous as the Vet was denouncing his big discovery.  
S: "Well, says who?"  
V: "Again, Scientist, I fail to get why you don't understand that I'm not just a Vet."  
The Scientist grew red with embarrassment as the Vet continued.  
V: "For the interest of safety, we should destroy or otherwise get rid of this portal as soon as possible."  
S: "Wh-wh-what?! V, this is the find of a lifetime! This could bring up so much progress!"  
V: "And what makes you so sure this is good, Scientist?"  
The Scientist scoffed as he stepped a few inches away from the Vet's face.  
S: "So what, do you just bring in a new type of metal to your lab just to destroy it? Without having a second the actually examine it? Or if a patient comes into your hospital, you just declare them dead without a proper diagnosis?"  
The Vet calmly stepped back and away from the angered lab rat.  
V: "This is far beyond discovery. This can only lead to destruction."  
Koneko stepped forward to the Vet's side, with Raku plodding along with her.  
K: "Scientist-san, I know you mean well, but... I don't think any of us want the world threatened again, nya?"  
S: "Whu-? Are you yankin' my leg? As long as we don't pry too deep, we won't get in trouble!"  
Raku's Heart resonated strangely with the blue energy, causing her to cling to Koneko's side.  
R: "I don't like this..."  
Running a hand through her hair, Koneko tried calming Raku down.  
K: "Don't worry, sweetheart."  
Ishiki motioned for Aria and Oroka to come with her, and they too went to the side of the Vet.  
I: "The scars from last year might've healed by now, kon, but do you really wanna undo all the hard work we spent getting back to normal? You'd really screw it up for us?"  
The Scientist threw his hands up to the air in aggravation.  
S: "Who graduated top of his class in his university? Who won first place in the science fair _every single year and counting?!_ You guys think you can just claim **you're** the better man of science here? Well no, you can't!"  
Kuro looked towards the Vet's side, following the argument.  
V: "We don't want another disaster on our hands. I'm sure whatever this portal is made of or leads to can be found later on, when there's no danger present."  
R: "We want peace..."  
K: "We don't want to fight anymore."  
Kuro turned back to the Scientist.  
S: "Come now, don't make ME the mad scientist here! I'm doing what's best for all of us!"  
Back to the Vet.  
V: "Destroying the peace as we know it?"  
Scientist.  
S: "Progressing the world as we know it!"  
Vet.  
I: "Give it up, dude! This is bad mojo here!"  
Scientist. Vet. Scientist. Spiraling out of control.  
"Lettingitbuildwouldhelpus!Noitwouldn't!Howdoyouknow!OhKamijustshutup!Stopthisplease!Ishiki...Koneko!Thisportalwillsaveus!"  
Kuro's mind was starting to bend as this bickering continued. He just wanted to say "stop" so bad, but he knew it wouldn't help. But his head was killing him... This arguing... This pointless fighting... Kuro's knuckles turned white as he grasped his head and thrashed about, before eventually conjuring up his staff in the center of the two opposing parties and-  
**_SLAM._**  
A burst of forceful energy knocked everything nearby away. People tumbling over each other, equipment being flung around, somehow seeing this chaos brought ease to Kuro. But as the dust settled, he was still furious.  
KU: "SHUT. UP. Both of you! Regardless of intent, you are both acting like foolish children! Good or bad, you don't know what this portal does, jumping to either conclusion will do nothing but cause infighting like this. Hmph, I expected better attitudes from the people that saved the world once before..."  
One by one, the dispersed crowds got up. Raku helped Koneko back to her feet, Aria and Oroka helped haul Ishiki up, the Vet wasted no time, and the Scientist quickly cleaned his goggles with his coat before standing up. Ishiki rubbed at her bandages as she spoke lowly.  
I: "Wow, dude sounds like a dad at this point..."  
K: "No kidding, Ishi."  
V: "Regardless of attitude...  
The Vet walked over the Kuro and extended a hand.  
V: "I can recognize when I've gone too far."  
The Scientist fumbled with his goggles as he also headed to Kuro.  
S: "I hate to admit it, but yeah, I guess I was being a jerk earlier."  
Nodding, Kuro accepted both of their handshakes and felt better.  
KU: "Alright, was that so hard? Okay, so I think our best course of action immediately is-  
The energy made some otherworldly noises as at began swirling. The earth began to shake in the town center. Panic levels were rising rapidly as the portal grew more volatile. Over the energy's sounds, the gang yelled to each other.  
K: "Kuro, what did you do, nya?!"  
KU: "I don't know! I didn't do this!"  
Aria and Oroka grabbed ahold of Ishiki, who put her arms around them, shutting her eyes and hoping it'll end soon.  
A/O: "Ishiki!"  
I: "Stay calm, you two!"  
Nearly tripping several times, the Vet managed to get over to the Scientist, who was fumbling with his equipment, damaged from Kuro's outburst. She placed the goggles on his eyes for him, taking him by surprise.  
V: "What is it doing, Scientist?"  
Squinting and trying to get the full picture, the Scientist scanned the now active portal. Several loud, beeping messages blocked his vision as his mouth hung open.  
S: "Ah- Gh- N- Wh-"  
V: "Well?!"  
S: " **Something's coming through...!** "  
Raku and Koneko held each other, as the energy buffeted them due to being close to the portal.  
K: "This... this can't be happening again..."  
R: "Koneko!"  
Raku conjured a barrier around them, still not budging from the embrace, be it from fear of losing her partner or to calm the two of them down. Kuro was mostly blocking his eyes, but as he kept staring into the portal, eventually he saw a dark figure far into it... And it looked like it was running closer.  
KU: "Vet, Sci! We're about to have company!"  
V: "Come on, shut this portal! You can do that, right?"  
S: "It might be out of our hands at _this_ point!"  
The figure was close now. Kuro tried his best to discern whether or not it was a friend or foe. The portal figure eventually reached an arm out, and in a muffled voice, said:  
???: "I need backup!"  
Well, that helped Kuro decide. The magician stepped right into the gate of the portal and extended an arm. Soon after, an armored arm grabbed Kuro's and he pulled the figure through, fighting the pull of the portal. The figure fell forward onto the grass, but they quickly sat back up as the grabbed an explosive device from their side.  
???: "Fire in the hole, SOBs."  
The figure's gloves glowed a blue color as some kind of energy flowed into the device, priming it and starting a countdown. The device flew into the portal, and a muffled explosion and a small burst of energy come out of the exit of the portal. The figure breathed heavily through their combat armor.  
???: "That... should've done it."  
And with that, whoever it was in there collapsed, barely clinging to consciousness. The three eldest figures tried to help the armored figure, but another person came through the portal, brandishing a high-tech assault rifle and sporting the same armor as the first one. The person pointed the gun at the three crowded over the other soldier.  
?!?: "Step aside from the traitor or lethal force will be used. First warning."  
Confusion broke out between the three.  
S: "Now wait just a sec-"  
KU: "Who are you and who is this?!"  
?!?: "#432847 is a traitor who must be dealt with severely. Who we are is none of your business. Move away from the traitor. Second warning."  
I: "Hey, punk!"  
The soldier's attention was diverted to Ishiki.  
I: "Who do you think you are? We don't need any interdimensional police here! Get out or I'll make you regret coming here!"  
?!?: "We aren't trained to take threats from civilian's like you. Back down and give up the traitor. Final warning."  
Ishiki joined sides with the three protecting the first soldier, readying a fighting stance. The Vet, Scientist, and Kuro followed suit.  
I: "I have no idea who you guys are..."  
V: "But you're clearly not welcome here."  
S: "Yeah!"  
KU: "You're gonna have to get through us if you want this soldier so bad!"  
The second soldier summoned the same blue energy from before into his arms.  
?!?: "Initializing Indigo Protocol."  
The soldier closed his hand into a fist, creating a giant, ethereal blue one, gathering the four guardians together and crushing them. In a near instant, the soldier raised up and slammed the fist down, pummeling the four, effortlessly defeating them. Not even looking over to them, the soldier grabbed the first soldier by the legs and slowly began to haul them towards the portal. The weakened soldier spoke out, exhausted.  
???: "I won't ever... bend to your sick foundation's will..."  
?!?: "#432847, you are hereby arrested under order by the command of BRH Captain Madeline Kritzzi, on account of sabotaging experiments and the previous treason of fleeing the Hand years ago. Your punishment is not yet decided, but you best hope they leave it at a lowly execution. There's worse, and you know it..."  
As the soldier was about to leave, he noticed the two nekos still huddling together. Behind his helm's visor, his eyes widened, and he dropped his cargo.  
?!?: "The Anomaly... is here? Heh, I'm gonna get a serious promotion for bagging two birds with one stone."  
The soldier readied the fist again as he went to grab Raku and Koneko, though the barrier stopped it. The energy fist and barrier fizzled with the opposing energy, repelling each other.  
?!?: "What?!"  
The soldier reared back, tighting his fist as he smashed the Heart barrier, but not without causing a burst of blue energy to damage his own hand. The soldier exclaimed in pain as the girls were knocked back quite a bit.  
?!?: "Shit... No matter, then."  
The soldier disappeared and reappeared right in front of Raku, who barely had time to yell as he grabbed her face, lifting her up as their energy clashed. Raku's mind felt like it was being incinerated as she feebly smacked at the soldier's ironclad arms. Raku screamed in pain as the soldier held her there.  
?!?: "You know, She has had her eye on you for quite the while, Anomaly. Your powers interest her greatly, and it'd be wise if you came quietly with us."  
Straining through the pain, Raku choked out a response.  
R: "Ne... ver...!"  
?!?: "Wrong answer."  
The soldier surged more blue energy into his grasp, eliciting even more shrill screams from the neko.  
K: "DON'T TOUCH HER!"  
Koneko ambushed the soldier with blades made of wind energy, knocking him far away and causing Raku to fall to the ground. Before the soldier had a chance to gather his bearings, Koneko summoned a massive storm on him.  
K: "You. Don't. Hurt. My GIRLFRIEND."  
Not letting up on the storm, Koneko jumped very high into the air, just barely above the storm she made. Falling through the center of it, Koneko eventually called off the storm in order to stab the soldier directly in the heart, piercing his armor. The soldier's screams stopped as he went for his radio.  
?!?: "Calling HQ, request-"  
The soldier was finally silenced as another set of blades stabbed right through his visor, and into his skull. Panting and gathering herself, the weak soldier got Koneko's attention.  
???: "Help... help me close it..."  
Koneko looked about frantically. She didn't know anything about closing portals!  
K: "I'm sorry, I don't know what to do."  
The soldier sat up and pointed towards the fallen soldier.  
???: "His Blue... I can use it. Get it to me, stat."  
Feeling time starting to run out, Koneko used a gust of wind to propel the dead soldier over to the two. The soldier began breaking open specific parts of the armor and absorbing the strange blue energy into their own. After opening the main reservoir, the soldier jolted upright as the energy in their armor crackled even more vibrantly. With a series of complex hand motions and strained grunts, the soldier closed the portal, with an otherworldly **_phhhhhhhwoooooooooooh_**. The soldier took a broken gasp as they truly fell unconscious. Koneko smiled weakly as she saw the last of the portal disappear, but her gaze went over to Raku, who was crackling weakly with pink energy.  
K: "R... Ra... ku..."  
Koneko fell limp, the last of her energy spent. It seems everyone is done, or otherwise not fit for action. Who is left?  
A/O: "Koneko!"  
The bird and dog ran out from behind Mochi Central and into the battle scene. Aria started hyperventilating as Oroka went to Ishiki.  
A: "Oh no, oh no no nonononono... Oroka, they're not all dead, are they...!?"  
Oroka placed an ear to Ishiki's chest, and she heard a faint beating.  
O: "Ishiki-chan is fine!"  
Aria ran over to Koneko, feeling for a pulse with bated breath. Sighing in relieve at feeling a real pulse, Aria ran over to Raku.  
O: "The magic man is okay!"  
A: "Koneko is alright!"  
Oroka's heart was beating out of her chest. She never really saw danger on this scale before. The cartoons made getting hurt seem like nothing, but seeing her love and her friends in this state... It was nervewracking. Aria felt for a pulse or heartbeat, and after a startlingly long time, she felt one. It was weak, as if it was one of the last ones...  
A: "Raku's barely holding on, Oroka!"  
O: "The Vet and the mean scientist are ali- wait huh?!"  
Oroka ran over to Aria, adrenaline flowing through her.  
O: "She's one of Ishiki's besties..."  
A: "And she saved the world and us just now. We need to get her to the hospital."  
Oroka began to panic even more.  
O: "I-I don't know how to heal people! I can't even put on bandages right!"  
A: "Calm down, Oroka. We should get the Vet up and well first, she knows most about that stuff. Then we can assist her and help everyone else."  
Oroka's eyes widened and shimmered with tears.  
O: "Even Ishiki...?"  
A: "Yes, Oroka. Everyone else too."  
Aria stood up and looked about to the knocked out bodies.  
A: "It'll take us forever to bring them all to the hospital one by one... Do we have a cart or something?"  
Oroka thought long and hard on trying to come up with an idea, which was a monumental effort coming from her. Eventually, the gears in her head turned.  
O: "Oh! The clothing store has those big carts that they move all the clothes with! A-and it's not too far away from here, we'll have time!"  
A: "Great thinking, Oroka! Let's-"  
Oroka got and all fours and ran off to the store.  
O: "Thankyougottago!"  
A: "Wh- hey! ..."  
Aria was left to herself, surrounded by her unconscious sister and her friends. Something felt wrong about staying here, her anxiety was making it hard to breath and keep calm.  
A: "Okay okay... I'll head to the hospital... There's gotta be a first aid kit ready somehwere... I should work on the Vet now, or they'll... all... all d..."  
Not wanting to think those thoughts anymore, Aria leaped up and sprouted her wings, flying towards the direction of the Vet's hospital.  
\--------  
Oroka nearly broke the glass as she smashed against the locked doors of the clothing store. Banging on it many times, Oroka shouted for help.  
O: "Hey! We need a cart! Help!"  
It took Oroka a few more seconds of banging to realize...  
O: "Shoot, they're closed on Saturdays!"  
Oroka paced about, wracking her mind to try and think of any other lead, any other place that could have mass transportation... but nothing came. The clothing store is the best bet. Nearly giving herself a headache in her thoughts, Oroka kicked a rock in frustration. Besides hurting her foot, she got another idea. Oroka tossed the rock in her hands a few times before rearing back.  
O: "Sorry, store!"  
Oroka let loose, and the stone broke through the glass with ease. Oroka did a fistpump to herself as she headed inside, navigating into a maintenance hall with the exact cart she had her mind on. It could easily hold all of the fallen friends. With high spirits and still fueled with adrenaline, Oroka quickly tugged the cart out of the hall and out of the store, and headed straight for the center of town.  
O: "I'm gonna save them all!"  
\--------  
A: "...Step 4: Apply active heat pack to bruised area. Okay okay okay..."  
Aria quickly wrapped a heat pack around the last of the areas she thought was most damaged by that slam attack. Consulting the first aid manual further, Aria read on.  
A: "Prop up the unconscious person and make sure they're breathing and showing signs of life. Hoo boy..."  
Aria held the Vet up, placing her hand on her heart again. Yep, still beating and breathing. Still unsure of if she's helping, Aria began to talk to herself to quell the anxiety.  
A: "You're gonna be okay, you're gonna be okay, _they're_ going to be okay, you're doing all you can, you're alright, you're alright..."  
Through Aria's mumbling, the Vet slowly stirred back into the realm of the conscious, though Aria didn't notice at first.  
A: "...you're fine, you're fine...! You're doing great, yeah, yeah you are."  
V: "...Hello?"  
Slightly startled by the sudden awakening of the Vet, Aria quickly grew happy instead of scared.  
A: "Oh thank Kami!! I did it right!"  
The Vet moaned as she tried to sit upright.  
V: "You're Ishiki's sister, correct?"  
A: "Yes ma'am!"  
The Vet breathed deeply as she slowly got to her feet.  
V: "Thank you for the first aid..."  
The Vet panned around, seeing all the other's seemingly lifeless bodies.  
V: "Oh, Kami... That one soldier did this...?"  
A: "I'm very afraid so, Vet-sama."  
V: "This is a tragedy. I need to help everybody."  
O: "Not alone you aren't!!"  
Oroka sped ride into the town center, peddling herself on the cart and braking before hitting anybody.  
O: "I got that cart, Aria!"  
A: "Good dog!"  
Aria went to pet Oroka's head, causing her to pant and smile.  
O: "Yes, I'm a good dog... *wof wof!*"  
After that short break, the two young girls walked up to the Vet and looked determined.  
A: "We're gonna help you heal all these people, chun."  
O: "Or die trying!"  
The Vet smiled at the optimism of the two. It reminded her of Raku and Koneko back then, ready and eager to start their journey to save the world. She nodded as she grabbed the Scientist's body first and loaded it onto the cart.  
V: "Let's go then, ladies!"  
A/O: "Yessir!"  
In no time at all, the fallen were loaded onto the cart and the Vet, Aria and Oroka pushed them all to the hospital. And thus began the long process of setting everyone up in their own rooms, an providing them with first aid. After what felt like forever, the Vet let everyone rest for the night, because all of them, especially those three, needed a good rest.  



	2. Worlds Unite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the hard hit of yesterday, the team strategizes.

The fox's eyes lazily opened, the harsh fluorescent lights causing her to squint and raise a hand to her face. As she drifted into consciousness, she felt a dull pain throughout her body, most notably her torso region. As Ishiki shifted in discomfort, she felt that most of her body was bandaged up. Coughing heavily while sitting up, Ishiki looked about the room she was in. Obviously she was in a hospital, but something felt off. She felt like she should've had some people waiting for her to wake up. Not to say that she was an extremely popular person, it's just that this building felt barren, but at the same time, she felt some kind of cramped, crowded feeling. Ishiki sharply inhaled, about to speak. Though this action was for nothing, as the door opened on its own. She was relieved to recognize the beak and bright lilac hair of her sister as she came in, and Aria seemed to feel the same.  
A: "Oh, thank Kami you're okay!"  
Aria quickly moved over to Ishiki and gave her a hug, being careful not to hurt her wounded body.  
I: "I... guess I could say the same thing. What happened...?"  
Aria backed off, and Ishiki could now see that she was wearing a pink nurse's gown, not unlike the Vet's own.  
A: "That guy knocked your lights out. Then your friends were the next to go down, but not before Koneko took him out. But I'm just so glad you're fine, Ishi."  
Ishiki let out a weak grin.  
I: "Heh, it'll take more than that to knock me out for the count! Hey wait, wh-where's Oroka?"  
Just then, Oroka leapt onto Ishiki's lap, startling her a good bit. She wore the same nurse outfit as Aria.  
O: "Emotional support dog!"  
Ishiki pet Oroka and scratched behind her ears.  
I: "Aww, glad to see you weren't hurt, Oroka."  
After a bit of light panting in response, Oroka soon got off of her orange-haired partner and stood by Aria.  
I: "So where are the others? Kuro, the Vet and Scientist were fighting fighting with me... And what about the nekos?"  
Aria extended an arm to her sister, and pulled her up to her feet. Oroka noticed the two were struggling to move together, so she went to Ishiki's open side and helped carry her weight. The trio hobbled out of Ishiki's room and through the halls back to the lobby. Ishiki saw the names of her friends on the adjacent rooms. Scientist... Kuro... Raku... Koneko... They were all struck down. Ishiki's heartbeat quickened as she assumed the worse, but as the doors to the lobby opened, these feelings were lifted slightly. She saw everyone, bandaged, bruised, and beaten, all sitting around the hospital's main room. Kuro, the Vet and the Scientist shared similar bruising and bandaging to Ishiki's own. Raku and Koneko looked worse however. Koneko was pale and exhausted looking as she gripped the pole of an IV. Raku's face was covered in horrible burns that were covered with many bandage wraps as she was also holding an IV pole. Her left eye, the uncovered one, looked absolutely sullen. Everyone's heads turned to face Ishiki and her supports. In a gravelly voice, the Scientist spoke.  
S: "Hey, 'shiki."  
The man extended his arms to his side.  
S: "Welcome to the club."  
Ishiki was not really having it.  
I: "We were beaten near inches of our lives, and you still think this is a joke?"  
KU: "Ladies, please."  
Kuro used his magic staff as a walking cane.  
KU: "Nobody's in a condition to fight right now."  
Ishiki slowly broke away from Aria and Oroka and into the nearest empty seat. Shifting about for a bit, she motioned towards everyone.  
I: "So... status report? What happened?"  
Koneko raised her hand as she soon spoke.  
K: "You and all the rest were pummeled. After that, the second soldier came for the first. Then he saw me and Raku I think. He went for her and did..."  
Raku covered her face with her hands while making a sad, defeated whine.  
K: "...Something awful to her. I killed him, and then helped the first soldier, but I blacked out soon after. And we all woke up in here."  
Oroka stepped over to Raku and knelt in front of her. The bandaged neko looked down and stared at her.  
O: "Emotional support dog?"  
Raku seemed a little less glum as she reached out and pet Oroka's head. Seems cats and dogs could live together. Ishiki shook her head as she took it in.  
I: "Kami, all of us knocked down like a line of dominos, kon. Hey, actually... Where is that soldier?"  
V: "If you want to see, then let's go."  
The Vet got up and started heading down the same hall Ishiki came from. Slowly but surely, everyone else helped each other up and followed the nurse. There was a heavy feeling in the air as the group came upon the doors to the larger room the unknown figure was resting in, its plaque had "???" scrawled on it. One by one, everybody made their way into the much bigger, and darker hospital room, lining the wall. Strangely, the soldier was still in their armor, features hidden away.  
S: "Y'couldn't take it off for them?"  
O: "It was too hard!"  
V: "It probably has to be taken off by the user alone."  
A: "Or we just don't know, chun."  
S: "Well, regardless, there he is."  
Raku spoke meekly, her voice further muffled by the bandages,  
R: "*cough cough* How long has he been out?"  
V: "Longer than Ishiki, it seems."  
R: "So... is he...?"  
A: "I don't think? Th-there's some weird panels and things on the armor, I don't think it'd still be active if the person wearing it was dead. If that makes sense?"  
Abruptly, the soldier's hands turned to fists as a heavy gasp came from them. The soldier jolted upright, looking at their hands quickly before looking ahead and seeing the menagerie of injured figures. The figure reached for their helmet, fiddling with some controls before it finally came loose with a puff of steam. The armored hands lifted the helm up, revealing the true identity of the figure. Her long, light blonde hair flowing outward. She closed her somber, blue eyes and took a deep breath in, and then out before speaking in a equally glum tone.  
?: "I'm so glad to not be breathing the same air as them anymore."  
The crowd was stunned at the appearance of the (apparently female) soldier coming into consciousness.  
I: "'Them?'"  
The woman held up her right hand, and the blue energy shown earlier created an outline of it.  
?: "The Hand. You fought one of them as I came in."  
S: "Wait, but-"  
V: "You have the same armor as the other member."  
?: "I've defected a long time ago."  
The soldier got out of the bed and started to walk towards the door.  
?: "I can't let them continue-"  
Taking a sharp breath as she stumbled, Aria and Oroka helped keep her upright.  
O: "Hold up, woof!"  
A: "You're not gonna go out like that!"  
The woman panted in a mix of anger and exhaustion before shaking her head.  
?: "You're right. We need a plan, we need to be at full strength before-"  
K: "'We'?"  
?: "Yes, all of you. You all saved the world before, and if we can find the Anomaly, our odds will be in our favor."  
The woman's suit let out more steam as the vitals and main power shut off, causing the panels of the armor to move away and allow her to step out. She had a lean, slightly muscular build, and like her face, her skin was ever so slightly pale. At a glance, she seemed as tall as Koneko without the suit of armor.  
R: "Anom-"  
?: "This is gonna take a long time to explain, so let's get a meeting going."  
As the soldier reached for the door, Raku grabbed her hand.  
R: "Wait! What's your name?"  
?: "Heather. Heather Insira. I'll get to know all of you within time, we just need to debrief."  
Heather pushed Raku's arm aside and left the room. Everyone else just looked at each other, whether it was out of surprise, bewilderment or otherwise was unknown.  
KU: "She seems to know what she's doing."  
Kuro headed out the door as well, stopping in the middle of its frame to look back to the others.  
KU: "I just hope _we_ know what we're doing."  
With that message, the others soon plodded along and found Heather pacing uneasily about the main lobby.  
H: "Too small, too open, bystanders could easily hear. Tactless."  
K: "I think this is a fine meeting pl-"  
H: "The Hand is after ALL OF US. They could be listening in at anytime and warp in within a flash. We need somewhere defensible and strategic. Either underground or otherwise unbreakable. Not easy to get through..."  
Heather's rapid fire thinking was suddenly cut short by the tugging of the locked front doors and sharp knocking. Heather immediately conjured her combat shotgun and pointed at the door, a look of mania and fear on her face. Aria looked towards Ishiki before hesitantly moving towards the doors. Heather gave a quick 'psst' and motioned a quick thumb across the neck, likely meaning "kill it". Aria continued forward, ignoring Heather's warning. She replied simply by cocking the shotgun as Aria's now shaky hand grasped the door, turning it with slow fear. Peering out of the open crack of the door, she saw a tall man with a menacing appearance. His blond hair waved as a shine came by on his sunglasses. He spoke in an unenthused voice.  
?: "We heard about something happening in town. Is there a "Raku" and "Koneko" in there?"  
Another hand grasped at the closed door and leaned into see Aria, startling her half to death. His cheery voice juxtaposed his accomplice's.  
??: "We kinda have to know."  
Under his breath, he muttered a follow-up.  
??: "I-uh, kinda worry about them..."  
The bird perceived the two men as threats and attempted to steer them away.  
A: "Um... s-sorry, there's no patients here, we're closed f-for... maintenance."  
At this point, Ishiki was trying to look out to see who was there while also trying to remain hidden. She caught a glimpse at the now familiar blond swordsmen and the brown-haired gunner. Ishiki pulled Aria slightly back and opened the door further.  
I: "Sis, don't worry. They're friends."  
Aria looked back towards her sister with a slight tinge of fear in her maroon eyes. She eventually backed off and let the two men enter. Perrak seemed nonplussed about seeing all his acquaintances injured, but Evan gasped and covered his mouth at the sight of his friends gravely hurt.  
K: "Perrak and Evan. What a surprise."  
With a chuckle, Perrak coolly spoke.  
P: "Hah, it's like a circus of hurt in here."  
Evan practically exploded as he ran over to Raku and Koneko.  
E: "SWEET GODS! ARE YOU TWO OKAY?!"  
After looking up at the two, he peered about to the rest of the occupants.  
E: "ARE **ANY OF YOU** OKAY!?!"  
Heather looked, wide-eyed at Perrak and Evan.  
H: "I don't believe it..."  
Suddenly, the two finally noticed Heather standing in the center of it all.  
P/E: "Heather?"  
Heather's surprise turned into some kind of smug satisfaction as she twirled her gun onto her shoulder.  
H: "I guess the Outlanders really stick to their name, huh?"  
E: "Haha, never in a MILLION years did I think you could be in this world!"  
Mass confusion rang out between all the other people.  
KU: "Whoa whoa whoa whoa!"  
S: "Wait just a darn second!"  
V: "What?"  
R/K: "Nya?"  
I: "Wuh-huh?!"  
A/O: "Who and what?"  
The trio turned around to face the others.  
E: "Hoo boy, this is gonna be hard to explain..."  
P: "When we said we weren't from around 'here'..."  
E: "We kinda really meant it!"  
R: "Y-you meant worlds??"  
E: "Yep!"  
V: "By Kami, how?"  
Perrak stretched out an arm and summoned Voidblivion.  
P: "There's a reason I never let this blade outta sight."  
Perrak slashed at the air, creating not only surprise out of the crowd, but a ghastly rift. Perrak reached onto the portal and then back out, holding a soda can. He dismissed the portal with his empty hand before opening and drinking from the soda.  
P: "Shadowmancy works wonders."  
K: "So... you could just create portals between worlds..."  
P: "Yep."  
K: "A-at any time..."  
P: "Uh-huh."  
K: "And you never thought to use that a year ago?"  
P: "Listen, it's not my job to make other's jobs easier. You had your story to go through and I played my part."  
E: "We didn't wanna ruin the fun of a good adventure!"  
Raku looked a little displeased as she mumbled under her bandages.  
H: "Now wait, I'm confused. You helped this world out beforehand?"  
E: "We meant to tell ya, but we never got into contact."  
P: "Long story short, we took down an evil magician."  
H: "Well, I know THAT much."  
S: "Okay, if I wasn't weirded out before, NOW I am! What exactly are you and why do you know things about us?"  
H: "That's why I called for a debriefing, dumbass."  
Various exclamations of shock, surprise and questioning rang out.  
E: "Aw shit, can we use swears now?"  
Ishiki covered Oroka's ears before she could ask what the words meant.  
P: "Might as fuckin' well! This whole day is turning out topsy turvy!"  
H: "Alright everyone, we're gonna need that debriefing more than ever now, so let's find a secure place and we can get this all sorted out. So anybody got a basement of some kind?"  
V: "You could say I do, yes."  
H: "How far away?"  
V: "It's a short walk."  
H: "Decided. Gather up anything you need and we'll head out. You all have five minutes, ready or not.  
Although there was really nothing to get ready in the time allowed, save for Heather's suit, all of it was spent whispering and theorizing about Heather and her involvement with Evan and Perrak. Even walking to the Vet's, everyone chattered amongst themselves. After everyone filed into the underground chamber that once held the soul of the Princess, Heather put herself into the center of the group circle and spoke.  
H: "Everyone settled? Good, this'll take a while. So, as you now know, my friends and I are not from this world. A world not quite similar to your own, but not completely different either. The world known as "Fait".  
A hologram of the planet appeared from Heather's glove.  
H: "It's a large, resourceful world. Filled with promises of adventure and treasure; a shared destiny of everyone there. But, there's one corporation that has no room left to grow. The world has no more space for them. The Blue Right Hand is not welcomed anywhere, yet they stand on their own. Because of this, they wish to have another planet for themselves. To conquer one and replace those there. And their sights have been set on this one."  
The hologram changed to the neko's homeworld, and showed explosions and war ravaging it.  
H: "The DBT, the 'Deep Blue Takeover', will tear this world piece by piece. Cities will be leveled, ecosystems destroyed, and people... killed."  
Population charts appeared next to the planet, steadily dropping as the simulated time passed, until eventually, everything was zero.  
H: "And only then, will the Blue Right Hand consider the slate cleaned, and build on the new, empty world. Their fresh foundation placed over the ashes of a world once thriving without them."  
Heather dismissed the image and motioned to everyone else.  
H: "This cannot be allowed to go through. The Hand must be destroyed before they infect any other world. You and I will see to it."  
A long silence allowed everyone to process what was just presented to them. This Blue Right Hand wasn't just a threat to their world, it's a threat to _multiple_ worlds. Kurohāto was a threat, but he had a reason, as skewed as it might've been. But these guys are different...  
H: "Any questions? Concerns?"  
Raku raised a hand after a bit.  
R: "What exactly is the Blue Right Hand, nya?"  
Heather shut her eyes in recollection.  
H: "The Blue Right Hand is a scientific/militaristic research foundation. They focus on a substance called Bluespace. Its variety of uses makes it invaluable for a lot of functions in and out of the Hand. As you saw, it powers a lot of their machinery, specifically that portal device and my suit. The Hand was formed with the thought that Bluespace would solve every problem the world had. The military branch was formed semi-recently in a bid to grow more on Fait. And I already mentioned why they're going to target this planet..."  
Aria raised a wing.  
A: "Where does Bluespace come from?"  
H: "Bluespace comes from another dimension of the same name, Bluespace. It so far seems endless, but the process of bringing it into our realm is difficult and expensive. The Hand protects the machines very closely, and only high ranking members are allowed to interact with them. Bluespace does a lot of things, as previously mentioned."  
The Vet was next.  
V: "Who runs this foundation?"  
Heather brought up a hologram of the bust of a stern looking woman along with a seriously decked out set of armor.  
H: "Blue Right Hand Commander Madeline Kritzzi. She founded the Hand and has operated it for years now. Her goals are the Hand's goals, so if there's a specific blame you want to put on someone, it'd be her."  
V: "Is she the only authoritative figure in the Hand?"  
H: "Apart from high ranking officers, no. Though there are Kritzzi's right hand men, they make up what's called the Sapphire Assemblage. I've never seen any of them, but I know of them. One's a master of machinery, another's an unparalleled bluespace manipulator, one's the organizer of their army, and the last is the ultimate assassin. They are extremely strong, but they pale in comparison to Kritzzi's power. Going back to the question, the Sapphire Assemblage meets with Kritzzi to discuss the future of the Hand, so actually, yes."  
Koneko raised her hand.  
K: "So you said you defected from the Blue Right Hand?"  
H: "Yes. As a private, I quickly realized the foundation was not for me. But I did well not to express it to the others. If you try and publicly denounce the Hand, execution's right around the corner. It was... dumb luck that I escaped with my life.  
E: "Oh, hey!"  
Evan jolted his arm up enthusiastically.  
E: "How do two dashing rogues whose names rhyme with 'Shmeven' and 'Shmerrak' fit into the backstory of the defecting soldier?"  
Heather put a hand to her face in disappointment.  
H: "D'you have to phrase it like- ugh, anyways. I found Evan and Perrak- or if you wanna debate about it, they found me- after my escape. They helped me back up and hid me for a bit. Later, we went our separate ways so I could do more espionage."  
Ishiki spoke without raising a hand.  
I: "So with how powerful and advanced this Hand is, you want _us_ to help you knock them down?"  
H: "Yes. I firmly believe that we all can."  
I: "Okay, a whole army of incredibly advanced soldiers versus a couple normal people and like two magic users."  
H: "It's not about-"  
KU: "The people..."  
Kuro stood up and joined Heather.  
KU: "It's about what the people do. Even the strongest of the strong can be beaten if they go without a plan. And that's exactly what we need."  
Kuro started to walk about the pedestal, motioning to everyone as he walks by.  
KU: "You've saved the world once. You can't all lose hope once the call for help rings out again! Heather, how quick are the Hand's invasions?"  
H: "I've never witnessed one at this scale... They'd have to take their time, though."  
KU: "Perfect! My friends, take the rest of the day to rest and regain your strength, for tomorrow and the countless days ahead, we shall fight and emerge victorious against the Blue Right Hand!!"  
With the raise of Kuro's staff, everyone felt a boost to the morale.  
H: "The magician's right. Everyone, first order of business is to rest to full strength. Thank you, and at ease."  
With a salute, Heather turned around and headed towards the stairs, with the various groups eventually following suit. Ishiki's trio and Raku and Koneko were the last to go. Oroka tugged at Raku's sleeve and spoke quietly.  
O: "Do you really think we can all do this?"  
Raku gave the dog a slight smile and a pat on the back.  
R: "In my heart, I feel that we can, desu."  


**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

  
The almost devoid, white chamber with light blue highlights sat still with a heavy air. The pure blue desk accentuating the site-wide intercom system as well as various pages of paperwork and a modified DIVI, or Designated Information and Vitals Interface. The Captain sat, monitoring the various locations of the foundation she spent years building up with decisive, but quick glances. The surveillance was disturbed by a high ranking soldier, likely with important news. He saluted before speaking.  
"My true blue Captain!"  
M: "At ease."  
The soldier went idle before talking in a slightly unsteady voice.  
"Captain, th-the Deep Blue Takeover...! The first incursion w-was tampered with!!"  
Kritzzi's grip on her coffee mug tightened.  
M: "What?!"  
"Sir! It was the renegade, Heather Insira! We're sure of it!"  
Kritzzi growled to herself. That runaway has done far too much against the foundation for being a single person. She stood up from her chair and walked around her office.  
M: "How long will it take for the Harmony Gate to recharge?"  
"It's more than that! Insira got one of the experimental satchel charges and damaged a lot of the machine! Vivaer was even astounded by the damages, he says a day at least and a week at most."  
M: "Tell him and his team to get on it NOW."  
"On it! Stay true, stay Blue!"  
The transmission ended, leaving the Commander to herself.  
M: "So, you wanna go and wage war against us, do you?"  
Madeline created a hologram of Heather's face from her gauntlet.  
M: "You think that world is worth dying for?"  
A deep chuckle accompanied a sly grin.  
M: "Then we'll give you a __**war.** "  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
A new day dawned, Heather and the Outlanders waited patiently along with the Vet for everyone else.  
H: "Sorry to drag you guys into another one of my things, but this mission is too dire."  
E: "I totally get it."  
P: "Yeah, same. I was getting tired of the Hand's attempts at staying relevant too."  
Raku, Koneko and Kuro arrived next.  
K: "Feel better, you two?"  
R: "Nya, yep!"  
KU: "Uh-huh. Who knew a day of sleeping could cure all your injuries?"  
The Scientist came next, pouting.  
V: "You look upset."  
S: "Barely slept a wink last night. Kept thinking..."  
V: "About what?"  
S: "Heather's stuff is WAY too cool! How can I compete with that when a whole facility has the most advanced crud I've ever seen?"  
The Vet simply laughed as the Scientist sat next to her. Ishiki, Oroka and Aria were the last ones to make it.  
I: "So you're sure about this, you two?"  
A: "Heather is pretty keen on all of us helping her."  
O: "And I wanna beat up bad guys just like you!"  
I: "I just, uh, don't want you guys getting hurt. You're my family, kon."  
A: "Getting hurt is part of the journey, but through family, we'll all heal."  
Ishiki scratched at her bandages and smirked.  
I: "Yeah, you're right, Aria."  
At the sight of everyone chatting and in full spirits, Heather cracked a smile herself. Taking out her DIVI, she began with the announcement and eventual plan.  
H: "Welcome everybody! I see you're all recharged and revitalized, and hopefully ready for the upcoming days. Now, I took the liberty of looking at your past endeavors and talking about what you all can do from Evan and Perrak. Ms. Vet and Mr. Scientist are unrivaled minds, and the Vet actually does shrine maiden work, huh? That'll come in handy, and I can see it did before. Ishiki has tons of strength, and I could tell, you've got a very toned physique."  
Ishiki was a little flustered at the flirt(?).  
H: "Alright, I'm fully aware of what Evan and Perrak can do, so I guess... Kuro, you're next. Now I didn't know before, but you were the villain in the quest before."  
KU: "Yeah yeah, I know. I'm changed, though."  
H: "So your magic must be quite strong then."  
KU: "Oh stop, you're too kind."  
H: "So now, onto the main event..."  
Raku's eyes widened in anticipation. Heather then pointed right to...  
H: "Koneko!"  
Both nekos were taken by surprise by Heather's move.  
H: "You were the prime hero back then, and you saved me and helped stall for time against the Hand's portal. And your wind powers swept across the land, like a hurricane of righteousness against the dark evil! Tell me you aren't ready for this!"  
Koneko scratched at the back of her ear before talking nervously.  
K: "Um, th-thanks for that, Heather, but... It was also Raku that helped me. In fact, she was the one that ultimately defeated Kurohāto with her powers, nya!"  
Heather was taken aback.  
H: "I forgot about her... Well, what did- er- what can you do, Raku?"  
R: "I think it's better if you see, desu."  
Raku stood up, outstretching her arms and opening her hands. Everyone waited for something to happen, but...  
R: "Huh?"  
Raku attempted to summon magic by opening her hands again and again. Nothing. She tried to summon a beam, a blade, vines, anything to show off her Heart powers.  
R: "Why- Why isn't it working? What's wrong? I- I- This isn't...!"  
Koneko got up and tried to calm the panicking Raku down. Heather felt a little tense at seeing this.  
H: "Where're your powers, Raku?"  
R: "M-my Heart... it's... gone."  
KU/V: "What?!"  
Kuro and the Vet jolted up and went to Raku, trying deperately to understand and console her. Heather stood in disbelief.  
H: "You were the Anomaly?"  
Everyone's attention was turned back to Heather.  
A: "You mentioned that before, in the hospital. What does that mean, chun?"  
H: "During the surveillance of this world, the Hand discovered that along with the hero- Koneko, as it turns out- there was something the Hand had never seen or could gather more information on that helped on the journey: The Anomaly. Its energy signature was radically different from the bluespace they had, so the Hand thought they could claim it as theirs and use it to strengthen them. They didn't even know if the Anomaly was... animate or not. This is a little mindblowing, to figure it out first. But now?"  
Heather motioned to Raku, who was starting to tear up.  
H: "Now nobody gets the advantage."  
I: "So... that's it?"  
KU: "No... no! We can't be dead in the water before we even make a plan!"  
S: "We've been crippled so freakin' hard, Kuro! Without our main girl, we can't do anything!"  
Oroka let out a whine as her tail wagged low.  
O: "Isn't there a way for Raku's magic to come back...?"  
Kuro's dejected look suddenly turned to a hopeful one.  
KU: "Actually..."  
Kuro retrieved a tome from his cloak and opened to a page.  
KU: "There is a place of legend that was once the gathering point to all those that used the power of Heart; the zenith where all Heart wielder's fates intertwined, where all of them gathered at one point in their lives..."  
Kuro suddenly shoved the book towards the crowd around Raku, showing the page he read. It was a sketch of floating islands, with clouds and hearts surrounding it.  
KU: " _Heartland._ "  
Kuro allowed Koneko to grab the book, letting the nekos to read it.  
KU: "It was a place of legend that I tried to infiltrate as Kurohāto. But I soon found out that only the most true of the Heart could be allowed in. Impenetrable to anyone else."  
There was actually one thing Raku could do in her weakened state. She put her hands to her chest and summoned her heart out. It was ghostly in appearance, almost transparent, but its beat went on.  
KU: "If there's anyway or anywhere that your Heart can be repaired, it's there."  
Koneko tossed the book back to Kuro.  
K: "So how do you get there, Kuro?"  
KU: "I've deduced that you have to 'will yourself' to create the path. The book says 'To arrive in the land of feelings strong, Think of the friends that tag along, To enter the hallowed land, you needn't try, Imagine the friendships and you'll be in the sky.'"  
R: "Sky... So I guess try that outside, nya?"  
H: "That deals with their powers, but what about everyone else? For example, Ishiki's group seems very mundane in relation."  
O: "Hey!"  
P: "I actually think we can do something with them."  
E: "Oh yeah, our artifacts! We adventure a lot and do tons of dungeon raids, I'm sure we could find something to suit all of them."  
P: "The Gauntlets of Valoran are a great choice of Ishiki."  
I: "Heck yeah! Those sound good!"  
Evan turned to Oroka.  
E: "You like magic, right, Doggo?"  
Oroka's bright eyes beamed.  
O: "Yeah-huh!"  
E: "I don't have them yet, but I know of some bracelets that do some really cool stuff. The dungeon's easy and I've been meaning to do it for a while, but I'm sure with you it'll be cool!"  
O: "I'm gonna be a dungeoneerer?"  
I: "Evan, if Oroka comes back with so much as a single scratch, I'm gonna beat you."  
E: "Heart's crossed, Ishiki!"  
A: "Oh, ah... What about me?"  
The Vet put a hand on Aria's shoulder.  
V: "Let's lighten the load on the Outlanders. I'll help you get something."  
A: "Wow, thank you, Vet-sama!"  
H: "Hah, this really is all coming together... Alright, men! We need team names, so we can communicate and keep track of everyone."  
K: "Hmm... Kuro, what did you call me and Raku back then?"  
KU: "Uh, I think it was 'Heart Warriors'."  
K: "Good! Kuro, Raku and I are the Heart Warriors, desu."  
P: "The Outlanders can extend its doors to include you, Heather."  
S: "Hmm hmm hmm, V does shrine maiden stuff, so that's magic... I do technology..."  
The Scientist clapped his hands together and spoke excitedly.  
S: "Team Magitech! Yeah, that's great!"  
V: "I suppose it'll do."  
Ishiki and Aria brainstormed together.  
A: "We're new to this, so something relating to that..."  
I: "The Neo-"  
O: "Sugar!"  
A: "...Girls?"  
I: "Hey... That doesn't sound bad at all! Heh, 'The Neo Sugar Girls'! Great thinking, kon!"  
H: "Perfect, perfect, love the sounds of all of them. Let's all go topside so we can... get to work."  
With a "Move out!", Heather guided the group to the outside, where everyone lined up by their own division.  
H: "Ten-hut! And at ease! Operation Paint the Hand Red is now underway, and I SERIOUSLY need a better name for that. Heart Warriors, you're going to Heartland-"  
KU: "I'm actually sitting this one out. I think I'll help train the newbies. Plus I don't think the place'll take me on account of threatening the whole world..."  
H: "Alrighty. Raku, do your thing."  
Raku summoned her weakened heart and held her eyes closed. Koneko put an arm around her and joined her. With a strong pulse, Raku's heart shot a beam into the sky, parting the clouds as a pink light in the sky glowed. Raku took her heart back and started to reach for the beam. She turned to Heather and gave her a nod.  
R: "We'll be back before you know it, nya."  
K: "We promise!"  
As Raku grabbed onto the beam, she started to ascend. Koneko quickly wrapped around her as to not fall off.  
H: "And off they go... Okay, Outlanders, you'll be taking most of the Neo Sugar Girls and getting them weaponry."  
Ishiki and Oroka quickly stepped towards the two.  
P: "Ready to step into another world?"  
E: "I think what he means is are you ready for an **adventure?** "  
I: "You know it!"  
O: "Yeah! Woof woof!"  
Perrak summoned Voidblivion and sliced the veil of the worlds, creating a portal.  
P: "We won't be that long."  
H: "I trust that you won't."  
Heather gave a salute as the four left through the portal.  
H: "Last but very much not least, Team Magitech will find Aria's powers."  
V: "I think I have a good idea in mind."  
S: "Good! Cuz I feel a migraine comin' on..."  
V: "I don't want any excuses from you, especially if the world depends on it!"  
S: "Yeah yeah, I hear ya..."  
Aria giggled as the trio headed back to the Vet's place. Again, Heather was left to herself.  
H: "Alright, I should go secure some DIVIs for all of em. There's one two three four- no wait- two four six- I'll figure it out."  
Heather quickly hopped into Perrak's portal just before it closed. Everyone had their part to play, but will they play it right?

_**End of Chapter 2.**_

_**_**Coming soon: Chapter 3A: "Romp of Heart", Chapter 3B: "Welcome to Fait", and Chapter 3C: "A New Rhapsody".**_**_

 _  
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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was finished on the first anniversary of the first Heart Stop. Happy Anniversary!


End file.
